The Expansion of the Concept of Mode in Twentieth-Century Russian Music Theory

Abstract

In Russian music theory, the concept oflad(mode) plays a central role in understanding non-tonal Russian music. There is no equivalent term in the West to explain Russianlad. Although early definitions simply described it as a diatonic scale, the term was later expanded, altered, and applied to non-tonal music of Scriabin, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich.Ladapplies not only to the traditional church or Greek modes, but also to alterations thereof, as well as newly created modes, where orthography often determines the function of a single pitch. I explore the ever-changing concept ofladin the writings of prominent Russian theorists Alexeï Ogolevets, Alexander Dolzhanskiĭ, Miroslav Skorik, and Iuriĭ Kholopov, and I show how the concept enables discussion of non-tonal music, first from functional and then from voice-leading perspectives. The Russian analyses highlight continuity between twentieth-century repertoires and music from the common-practice era.